Question of an international regime for the Jerusalem area and protection of the Holy Places : special report of the Trusteeship Council
Background:
On December 9, 1949, the Australian proposal was presented for approval by the Assembly. The meeting was held in a tense atmosphere, during which harsh exchanges were heard between supporters of internationalization and its opponents.
In a speech imbued with religious fervor, Malek touched on the sensitive strings of the Christian world. Malek emphasized that Jerusalem remaining divided would lead to the 'complete Israelization' of the city for the foreseeable future. In the absence of internationalization, the Christian institutions in Jerusalem, including churches, monasteries and schools, would not be able to function properly, and this would lead to the 'elimination of Christian life and interests' in the city.
Malek called on the Christian West not to give up the great opportunity that had presented itself, while Islam agreed—for the first time in more than a thousand years—to share control of Jerusalem.56 At the end of the debate, the General Assembly approved the Australian proposal, which was for UN Resolution 303, by a larger majority than that obtained in the Special Political Committee: 38 countries supported the resolution, compared to 14 that opposed it and seven that abstained. 'I smelled blood,' Sharett told his colleagues in the government, upon his return to Israel, and described what happened at that meeting as 'settling the score for ... [the crucifixion of Jesus'].
In April 1950, the Trusteeship Council completed the preparation of the Jerusalem Constitution, but its work was in vain:
In view of the refusal of Israel and Jordan to accept the Constitution, in June 1950 the Trusteeship Council transferred the handling of the Jerusalem question to the fifth session of the General Assembly, which did not reach a decision.
